Sri Lanka

Qatar Airways adds flights to Colombo and Dhaka

August 22, 2017

DOHA, Qatar, 21 August 2017: Qatar Airways continues to expand with new flights to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Saying it is responding to robust demand from passengers it is increasing its Colombo service from four to five flights weekly effective 11 September. The airline’s Dhaka service will also [...]

Australia helps Sri Lanka as dengue toll hits 250

July 19, 2017

COLOMBO (AFP) – Australia will join Sri Lanka in its war on dengue fever, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Wednesday, as the virus has claimed a record 250 lives and infected nearly 100,000 people in the South Asian country this year. Sri Lanka has deployed hundreds of troops to [...]

Sri Lanka President promises consultation with Buddhist leaders on new constitution

July 6, 2017

COLOMBO, July 6 (Reuters) – Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Thursday pledged to consult the country’s Buddhist leaders over his plans for constitutional reform, which he promised in his 2015 election campaign to bring about reconciliation among all ethnic groups. Sri Lanka [...]

Airbus compensation hits Sri Lankan Airline as loss widens

June 16, 2017

(Reuters) – SriLankan Airlines on Friday said its losses more than doubled in the year ended March 2017, hit by high costs of cancelling leases on Airbus aircraft and partial closure of the country’s main airport. The state-owned national carrier, which is looking for an international [...]

Some Sri Lankan banks stop buying Qatar Riyal

June 6, 2017

Some Sri Lankan banks stopped buying Qatar Riyal QARLKR=R on Tuesday, saying their counterpart banks in Singapore advised them not to accept the currency a day after the Arab world’s biggest powers cut ties with Qatar. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on Monday [...]

Updates on Sri Lanka floods

May 25, 2017

#Floods affecting many parts of Sri Lanka Friday 26th May 2017 Sri Lanka Floods Update: 12pm Gin River in Tawalama pictured this afternoon 1130am Flood gates of the Lakshapana, Canyon and Kukule Ganga reservoirs opened due to heavy rain – Min of Power and Renewable Energy 11am 500,000 [...]

Sri Lanka lawmakers blame anti-Muslim violence on government inaction

May 23, 2017

COLOMBO, May 23 (Reuters) – Sri Lankan parliamentarians blamed the government on Tuesday for failing to stop a spate of attacks on minority Muslims over the past five weeks.At least 20 incidents have been reported across the country, including arson at Muslim-owned businesses and petrol-bomb [...]

Sri Lanka president switches foreign, finance ministers in reshuffle

May 22, 2017

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena switched the finance and foreign ministers in a cabinet reshuffle on Monday in a bid to restore confidence in the administration’s handling of the economy. Managala Samaraweera, who has been foreign minister since January 2015, was appointed [...]

Sri Lanka’s BBS leader commences and abruptly halts fast over possible arrest

May 22, 2017

Situation Report: (Colombo) In a planned clandestine operation on Saturday evening, the Police attempted to arrest Gnanasara Thero by blocking the road the BBS group was travelling on. The attempted arrest, which was live streamed through social media, resulted in an altercation between the [...]

Sri Lanka offers fresh probes into missing thousands

May 22, 2017

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s President announced on Saturday (May 20)new investigations into alleged secret detention centres as part of a drive to find tens of thousands of people still missing after the country’s decades-long war. Maithripala Sirisena said he would establish a mechanism to [...]